Gaming industry bets on mergers to fight profitability squeeze

London

IT'S been the busiest year for gaming- industry consolidation in a decade, and the wave of mergers and acquisitions isn't over yet.

As governments ratchet up the tax burden at a time when companies are competing harder than ever for new customers, oddsmakers are finding the best way to combat the squeeze on profitability is to join forces. At US$12.9 billion, the volume of deals announced in 2015 was about double that of 2014 and the highest since 2005, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.